The 5 Best Wine Bars in NYC

The days of stuffy wine bars are officially over. You know, the kind populated by suited men yammering about Robert Parker scores and pretending a panini press is exotic?

Wine bars across NYC are loosening up and showing they have their own personality with unique lists that express a distinct point of view. These new-age wine bars often have ambitious food, too—from creamy, sausage-topped polenta, to top-notch cheese and charcuterie.

When we go to a wine bar, we want to be introduced to something we’ve never had, eat something delicious, and not be bothered by snobbery. The places featured here all have what it takes to change your mind about wine bars.

Here are our five favorite wine bars in NYC.

The Saint Austere

Address and phone: 613 Grand St, Williamsburg, Brooklyn (718-388-0012)
Website:thesaintaustere.comGood for: Inexpensive list; wines from small European producers
A focused, affordable beverage list and super-helpful staff keep us coming back to this unpretentious Williamsburg wine bar. The bartender might start you off with a half bottle of Pascal Jolivet Sancerre for $24—its clean, acidic qualities are a perfect foil for the parade of rich, Italian-inflected dishes to follow. The creamy polenta—slow-cooked for five hours until it transforms into pure velvet—is topped with a hearty stew of sausage and cipollini onions. The grilled octopus, served with bacalao purée and pickled onion, is impeccably tender with a nice char. Order a second and third glass, then go for the spaghetti all’Amatriciana, which consists of a heaping plate of al dente pasta flavored with black pepper, dried chiles, and rich and fatty guanciale. It's basically impossible to leave this bar sober and/or unsatisfied.
Food pairings:Patatas brava, creamy polenta, grilled octopus, spaghetti all’Amatriciana

Ten Bells

Address and phone: 247 Broome St (212-228-4450)
Website:thetenbells.comGood for: Natural, organic, and biodynamic wines
Francophiles and avid proponents of natural, organic, and biodynamic wines engage (read: attack) each other in lively, often tenacious discourse—more French than English—at this wine-obsessive hangout. Fueling the discussion are so-called natural wines that are proudly minimal in human intervention. A perplexing chalkboard menu of bottles from both little-known and cult producers may require that you chat up the bartenders, who can skillfully lead you to a satisfying pour. Ask for something from California and you may as well show yourself the door—the wine list is extensively French, though a few Italian, Sicilian German, Croatian, and Spanish wines do hold their ground, including the absolutely perplexing and funky Franck Cornelissen’s Susucaru 4 from Sicily. There’s also a handful of reasonably priced Magnums, Jeroboams (equivalent to 4 bottles of wine), and Mathusalems (equivalent to 8 bottles of wine) for a real party, as well as a great selection of sherries and dessert wines.
Food pairings: Oysters, tortilla Espanola, txipirones en su tinta (squid in ink sauce), steak tartare

Terroir

Address and phone: 413 E 12th St (646-602-1300) • 24 Harrison St (212-625-9463) • 439 3rd Ave (212-481-1920) • 284 5th Ave, park Slope, Brooklyn
Website:wineisterroir.com
Good for: Discovering wines you've never heard of, from regions you didn't know made wine in the first place
Paul Grieco’s ever-expanding empire of wine bars (there are now locations in Tribeca, Murray Hill, and Park Slope) began with the intimate East Village location—the “Cheers” of oenophilic haunts. Despite having one of the nerdiest beverage lists in the entire city, Terroir succeeds by deflating the pomp from wine drinking and injecting it with a sense of humor. The massive menu reads like a manifesto, with essays, bizarre asides, and paeans to under-appreciated producers and styles. Grieco has made turning people on to Riesling his passion project, and you'll find more than 80 bottles of the high-acid, citrus-fueled German varietal on offer. The bartenders are skilled at helping newbs and aficionados alike unearth a wine that will excite, and they are happy to talk through the experience in the glass. On occasion, an exuberant patron will order something special off the menu—maybe a large-format Burgundy—and send glasses around room. That's the beauty of being both accessible too all, and beloved by industry insiders. As a bonus, Terroir has a standout menu of bar snacks created by chef and partner Marco Canora; standouts include the veal-and-ricotta meatball sub and Yoshi's fried chicken, inspired by one of a Japanese cook who wowed the staff when he made the dish for family meal.Food pairings: Lamb sausage, veal-and-ricotta meatballs, Yoshi's fried chicken, panini

Corkbuzz

Address and phone: 13 E 13th St (646-873-6071)
Website:corkbuzz.comGood for: Wine classes, wine-fueled brunches, group meals
With Corkbuzz, Master Sommelier Laura Maniec has not only created the best place to drink near Union Square, but also one of the city's most forward-thinking wine bars. The so-called "wine studio" combines a restaurant (don't sleep on the brunch), bar, event space, and education center all in one sleek package. Working pros and industry moguls huddle around the front bar, pairing dishes like hamachi crudo and bone-marrow crostini with selections from a fairly extensive and worldly wine list. Communal tables in the back are perfect for hanging out with a group and settling in for the long haul. An evangelical and well-informed staff preaches the gospel of wine (Maniec wouldn’t have it any other way), and if you’re keen to go deep, Corkbuzz offers an array of excellent classes that cover everything from low-key pizza pairings to an in-depth exploration of Burgundy.
Food pairings: Cheese and charcuterie, hamachi crudo, beef tartare, pappardelle with English peas and morels

Gottino

Address and phone: 52 Greenwich Ave (212-633-2590)
Website: gottinony.comGood for: Date night; exploring Italian wines
Jody Williams (Buvette, Morandi) has the Midas touch when it comes to creating intimate spaces where every tiny detail—from the glassware, to the antique signs, to the wine racks on display in the basement—adds to the overall magic of the place. As a result, Gottino is the type of habit-forming neighborhood wine bar that stays in your rotation even as buzzy new bars and restaurants come and go. The focused Italian wine list, with plenty of reasonably-priced by-the-glass options, offers an opportunity to explore the likes of Barolo and Lambrusco, as well as less common varieties from the boot. Meanwhile, the short menu of small plates is so full of hits that it'll take years to get bored. Among the standouts are a rustic rabbit pot pie that billows steam when you crack the puff pastry; crostini slathered with rich walnut pesto; and thick, sea-salt–flecked chocolate mousse that's among the city's best. The candle-lined bar and quiet back garden make Gottino an ideal date spot, but it's laid-back enough for a solo mission or a few shared bottles with friends.
Food pairings: Rabbit pot pie, walnut-pesto crostini with parmesan and thyme, baccala mantecato, crepes with prosciutto and fontina, chocolate mousse

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